A 30-year-old Namibian woman was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport for carrying suspected cocaine in her body. The police said she is under guard and has already expelled more than 60 pellets of suspected cocaine.
A 30-YEAR-old Namibian woman was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park after landing with suspected cocaine hidden in her body. The South African Police Service (SAPS) reported that she is the tenth suspected drug mule apprehended at the busy Gauteng airport in the last two months.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe stated that the SAPS, along with customs and immigration officials from the South African Revenue Service, acted on intelligence regarding the suspected drug mule’s arrival from São Paulo at around 7am.
“The team intercepted the drug mule as she was making her way through immigration. She was immediately arrested and taken to a local hospital, where a medical X-ray confirmed the presence of foreign objects in her stomach,” said Mathe.
On Sunday evening, Mathe noted that the process to extract the suspected drugs was ongoing. “She has already expelled more than 60 pellets of suspected cocaine and is currently under police guard,” she said.
“The total value of the drugs cannot be determined at this stage as the process to release all the drugs from the suspect’s body may take some time.”
Meanwhile, SAPS national commissioner General Fannie Masemola praised the efforts of the multi-disciplinary team working to combat crime at OR Tambo International Airport. “Our officers are diligently intercepting serious criminals. South Africa is not a safe haven for transnational organised crime, and we are tightening the net on these activities,” Masemola asserted.
Last month, it was reported that a South African woman posing as a shopper for her “upcoming wedding” was also arrested at the airport. The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team apprehended the 33-year-old on August 27 after discovering 10 kilograms of cocaine in her luggage.
Additionally, two Nigerian nationals, aged 37 and 52, were identified as potential accomplices. They were questioned after being seen waiting in the international arrivals hall, but could not provide proof of their claims regarding waiting for another traveller. It was later confirmed they were there for the arrested drug mule from Motherwell in Port Elizabeth.
